Hello. This is the Anne half of dananne. First of all, I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis. It is more than inconvenient, and though friends and family will have the best intentions when trying to feed you, they will get it wrong. So will waiters. You will be amazed at how many folks don't know that white flour is wheat.

A few things to note. If you find that after six months you are not feeling better, your Celiac may be worse than previously thought (not likely); you may also be either intollerant to other foods not tested; or you may be getting accidentally glutened. If you are not feeling better, get tested for dairy, soy and corn intollerances. It seems that once your digestive tract is being assaulted regularly with Celiac, your belly will start rejecting other things, and those are the most common. If soy is one for you, I have no idea how you could remain vegan. I am soy and cow's milk intollerant in addition to having Celiac, and that is why Dan and I really cannot eat the same things. I have no idea what type of information your physician gave you, but cross contamination is a big problem for some people, though I don't seem to be that sensitive. (Curiously though, I seem to be sensitive to grain alcohol, which is supposedly okay for Celiacs.) That means that you can't eat the fries if they are cooked in the same oil as the onion rings and can't eat the corn tortilla chips cooked in the same oil as the flour tortilla chips. Cooking equipment may also have remnants of gluten on it. Plastics, cast iron, and teflon surfaces are the most likely. Then, there are things you put on your body, face and hair that may cause you trouble. While we don't absorb those through our skin, sometimes, you have lotion on your hand and touch your face or the water runs to your mouth in the shower. You get the idea. Some people have found it advantageous to change to gluten free grooming products as a result.

As KC said, there are GF beers out there (Bard's and New Grist), but none are distributed in my home state. With luck, they will be in Wisconsin.

If you plan to make gluten free bread, I would suggest you get either a Kitchenaid Artisan or stronger mixer or a Zojirushi Bread Machine. Except quickbreads, GF breads usually contain xanthum gum, which is really sticky and will ruin the motor on anything less powerful. The Kitchenaid, Bosch, and Viking mixers can handle the GF breads, and the Artisan seems to be the least expensive one that will. The Zojirushi has two paddles, and folks say it is the only one on the market that really does the trick. I don't have the Zo and have been making bread without a bread machine.

This is a great site listing ingredients that are and are not gluten free; so you'll know that all those things that purport to be "wheat free" that are not okay for you. http://www.celiac.com/st_main.html?p_catid=12

Don't forget not to lick envelopes, as the glue is often made from wheat. I use a glue stick or ask Dan to do the honors at home.

Whole Foods GF baked goods are quite good if you have a Whole Foods. I prefer Kinnickinnick breads, which I have to order online. https://secure.kinnikinnick.com/index.cfm

A note of caution, however. All of the gluten free items from pretty much all companies contain substantially more calories than the originals they intend to replace. They range in 50%-300% higher in calories for a piece of bread. And they are often tapica or rice flour, which is not high in fiber either.

For pasta, you can use Amaranth, Quinoa (but read the label, as these are often blended with wheat), Brown Rice and Corn. I prefer the texture of corn pasta, and it isn't as sticky as the brown rice pasta. And there is always risotto.

As for vegan replacement food, that will be really tough. Amy's Organics don't add gluten, but they are processed on equipment that uses gluten. And I think they contain dairy. So if you are sticking with veganism, I don't know that any of those would work for you. Similarly, with Quorn, the only one that doesn't flat out contain gluten is the chicken tenders, but again, not made on dedicated GF equipment. So depending on your sensitivity level, that may or may not work for you.

On cookbooks, Bette Hagaman's books are the standard, but a lot of people think they are too complicated. A bit like a Martha Stewart recipe. I like this one best:
http://www.amazon.com/125-Best-Gluten-Free-Recipes/dp/0778800652/sr=1-7/qid=1158341435/ref=sr_1_7/102-6796245-4727316?ie=UTF8&s=books

Since you are vegan, you may already avoid regular soy sauce, but if not, start. The second ingredient listed after water is wheat. San J makes a wheat-free tamari sauce for you to use, and you can use Bragg's Liquid Aminos too.

There are several brands of mixes for breads and other baked goods, but I think they are overpriced and don't use them. If I'm going to pay $6 for a loaf of bread, it's going to already be baked. That's just me though.

Anyway, that's probably way more information that you really wanted. I hope that helps, and let Dan know if you have any more questions.

Anne,
Thank you so much for taking the time to post all of this.
I've heard and read such a mix of things from various people and it will take some time to get it all consolidated in my head!
I am thinking about eating eggs, but if I develop soy problems i really don't know what i'll do. I guess I'll cross that bridge if I come to it.
New Grist beer is made in Wisconsin-- I'll be trying it pretty soon [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]

Those books look good, and the information about going hard-core on a bread mixer is great to know...

I'm pretty bummed in some ways, but I'm also really excited about feeling better...
I've had arthritis since I was 16.

Are you familiar with the windows or palm celiac's assisting programs from clanthompson? I'm thinking about investing in a palm pilot and getting the software to help me out at the grocery store...

Thanks again for all the help.

Oh yeah, and if you ever want me to ship a case of New Grist to you, I'd be happy to. We stock it where I work.
I don't know what the Georgia laws are, but I'm pretty sure Wisconsin is pretty lax about such things.

We don't carry New Grist, but we do have Bard's and Ramapo Valley. The Bard's Dragon's Gold is quite good, and is made from sorghum. Unfortunately it isn't sold in WI. RV is brewed from honey and hops, and is from New York. Also, see if you can find Hambletons and Green's, both from England. Green's has the modt extensive line, including lager, stout and pale ale.

Vouvray: You should expect to feel better in ways you didn't realize in addition to the arthritis. I've always had a half-baked digestive system, but I've had mild arthritis and non-allergic rhinitis, among other things. And while these things have not improved 100%, they are significantly better than they were.

I am going to Milwaukee in a few weeks and will pick up some New Grist then. Thank you for your offer.

I am familiar with the Clan Thompson list, but I have never used it. Someone else mentioned to me that she uses it. I just decided to I didn't want to carry around any more gizmos and didn't get it for that reason. If they had one that would work on my Blackberry, I probably would get it. If I were you, I might go for a month or two and see whether you are frustrated enough to still want to shell out for it.

It's a good replacement for the "typical American beer," but it's not comparable to her pre-Celiac favorites. She was never a fan of the mass-produced American beers, so she'll drink it, and she appreciates that they make it, but it's not making her put down the wine glasses anytime soon [img]http://wines.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

As for me, I've tried it, too, and found it just a touch sweet. It would be a great match for spicy Mexican food (since she can't wash it down with a cold Bohemia). I like the gluten-free ciders she's been drinking, particularly Strongbow. The best cider we've tried is the Woodchuck Dark & Dry -- absolutely fantastic and easily the best cider I've ever tried. We can't confirm if it is gluten-free like the regular Woodchuck cider, however.

All-in-all, how are things going for you? Feeling any better yet?

Oh, and the audience may not be as limited as it would seem on first glance -- many people, even those who don't have Celiac, have plain, old wheat allergies. As for Celiac, an estimated 1% of the population has it, though most have not been diagnosed. In countries where the diagnosis frequency comports with the disease frequency, such as Italy, gluten-free foods and beverages are readily available in most establishments.

I'm doing MUCH better. I have more energy than I've had since I was a teenager and my joints, mood, and gut are all much improved. Thanks for asking.

As for the Redbridge, no, it's not nearly as good as really good beer. I used to enjoy the myriad kick-butt Belgian beers as much as wine, and this is no comparison. But with corn chips and salsa it WORKS, which is a huge step-up over most gf beer, which, by the way, is all a bit or a lot sweet (apparently a sorghum characteristic).

If you like strongbow or woodchuck dark and dry, you have to try Magners. It's Irish, and WAY better than the latter two to my palate. Also, I love Domaine Dupont Ciders. Expensive, but amazing.